Have you ever walked away from a movie not loving it and trying to figure out what’s wrong with you? Not the film, but clearly something is amiss with you if you didn’t go completely agog for the movie. Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” (2025) should be a complete slam dunk for me. I’ve loved all of del Toro’s movies since “Cronos” (with the lone exception of “Pinocchio” which I just mostly liked a bunch). I love the story of “Frankenstein” from Mary Shelley’s incredible original novel to its various incarnations through the years (though I still maintain one of the best renderings of the creature is in 1987’s “The Monster Squad”). I love gothic tales having read a bunch in college and completely falling for the aesthetic. I love the cast, full of excellent artists who constantly turn in engaging performances. And yet…I did not love “Frankenstein” (2025). I have my reasons—bland cinematography, weird emotional distance, and more—but mostly I have this weird feeling that I somehow have failed for not fully embracing this film. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it’s not the masterpiece it could have been, with the potential to take up space in my heart and thoughts as I pore over shot after shot. I still recommend people seeking it out as it’s a very good version of the story…I just wish it were better.
Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is rescued in the Arctic Circle by a ship seeking to reach the North Pole. He seems to be pursued by some sort of creature (Jacob Elordi), who appears unaffected by many bullets the crew fires at it. Victor regales the captain with his tale of how his overly harsh father (Charles Dance) pushed him into pursuing medicine and how the young doctor became obsessed with conquering death. This mission attracts the support of a wealthy arms dealer (Christoph Waltz) who funds Victor’s macabre experiments into reanimating the dead. Things get complicated when Elizabeth (Mia Goth), the arms dealer’s niece (and Victor’s brother’s fiancée), enters the picture and bewitches the crazed scientist. Victor continues with his work and soon achieves success (Elordi), but Victor’s hatred of his creation leads to ruin and the two part…for a while anyways.
As noted above, “Frankenstein” has so much positive going for it that it’s a pity it didn’t impact me more than it did. Costume designer Kate Hawley does incredible work with the 19th century outfits, creating lush decadence with Elizabeth’s gowns and barely restrained madness in the more stoic outfits of the men. Production designer Tamara Deverell’s layouts are sumptuous with great visuals for the locations and various props (the coffins for Victor’s parents are particularly memorable and beautiful). And yet, with those departments doing fantastic work, they are poorly served by incredibly bland camerawork. This is bizarre as DP Dan Laustsen has captured amazing imagery in the past with titles like “Crimson Peak,” “The Shape of Water,” and the “John Wick” movies (parts two through four). His previous work with del Toro in “Nightmare Alley” and other films have been truly stupendous. Yet here it’s all perfunctory feeling without much done to create interesting framing or engaging movement, instead lots of boring tracking shots and basic compositions. It’s not that the cinematography obscures the work by the design team, but it doesn’t meet the same heights as those. Everything else (visually) about Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is gothic gold, but the camerawork results in too much of the proceedings feeling way too mundane for something that should be operatic and intense.
The performances are excellent, with particular praise going to Isaac, Elordi, and Goth. Elordi is especially wonderful, exuding hulking strength, chaotic emotions, and childlike innocence often at same times. His gentle demeanor is perfectly matched by an impressive physicality where he slowly learns how to move with his new body. The inherent tragedy of the Creature is perfectly captured by Elordi and wonderfully set apart by the cruelty and repugnance of Isaac’s Victor. Unfortunately, perhaps because Victor’s part of the story takes up so much screentime and perhaps because you are spending it with a horrible person, there is an emotional distance from the characters. Victor is a monster, but he never feels like a human one—instead coming across like the crazed mad scientist of cartoons of the “Frankenstein” narrative. That makes it hard to connect and feel anything other than derision for the character. Meanwhile, so much of the Creature’s plot is relayed via narration, which isn’t necessary for most of the events, further reinforcing that distance. Elordi’s acting and the obviousness of the sequences make it plain what he is feeling, so the narration is just an unnecessary layer that pushes us further away from connecting to the character.
Guillermo del Toro is easily one of the greats of cinema currently working today. His passion for filmmaking and his empathetic eye towards monsters has led to compelling movies that will resonate for generations to come. “Frankenstein” was always the story that seemed like the ultimate tale for del Toro to tell, as it is the apex of monster chronicles that truly explore man’s capacity for growth and its tendencies to inhumanity—themes that del Toro has explored in some way in most of his films. And most of “Frankenstein” (2025) is a success. Beautiful costumes and wonderful sets, with impressive performances, all told with strong pacing and engaging sequences. And yet…it doesn’t engage on the deeper levels that it should, and it isn’t nearly as visually decadent as it could be. It’s unfortunate that these missteps take away from an otherwise solid movie, but it does make it extremely hard to love “Frankenstein” (2025). Del Toro’s creation is a great idea with so much beauty within it, but the film simply doesn’t do enough to make it the masterpiece as it could have been.
3.5 / 5 Stars
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance, David Bradley
